The decision to let an employee go is not easy. Managers are often tentative
while taking such decisions. And this is true not only for employees who are not
performing, but also those who may be performing, but for a variety of reasons,
may have stopped growing.
Here are 12 common reasons that make it difficult for managers to fire or
move an employee:
- Lack of company rules or policies. While there are many manuals on how to
hire people, there are none on how or when to fire them. - Retaining people has been a priority for so long that it has become a
culture. - Fear that firing or transferring an employee will be a poor reflection on
the manager's own abilities to handle people. - Fear of unsettling the boat, especially if the employee is popular or is
performing. - Concern that this may unsettle and de-motivate other employees and trigger
IPR issues. - I am not OK, but my boss is OK with this employee. It can be particularly
difficult for the manager to displace or fire an employee who has a good
relationship upstairs. - The employee was always a good worker. What's happened now? Am I taking
the right decision? - Will this make me look like a bad guy in the eyes of this and other
employees? I want to look good. - Over a period of time the manager-employee relationship has become one of
friends. And the manager has discussed seniors and company policies with the
employee in a derogatory manner. - There is lack of information flow in the company. The manager knows the
employee can be used effectively in some other role, but doesn't know when
and where that role is available.If an
employee is not growing and the manager cannot aid growth in the next
year or two it is time to let the person go - Inability to take a risk. Will the next person be better? Let me stay with
a known devil-at least I do not have to train this one. - If I lose this employee who is performing well where will I get a
replacement?
So when is the right time to let a person go?
If there are severe discipline issues the decision is clear. If someone has
defrauded the company you fire him. No discussions needed.
If the person has consistently under-performed and enough inputs and time has
been provided it is OK to let a person go. But this is where the decision making
starts becoming sticky. Has the necessary time been given for a person to
develop skills? Has the necessary training been provided? Has the correct
feedback been given? Answers are often tentative and so are the decisions.
An even more difficult case is when an employee is performing very well, but
cannot go further. This could be because:
- Skill sets for current job role are outstanding, but just not there for
the next job role. - Employee is good, but there are no slots available at the next level and
will not be for sometime. - The company structure does not need employees at a higher level in this
area.
This kind of a situation is even stickier and calls for decisions that are
often difficult.
The key is simple. If an employee is not growing and the manager cannot aid
growth in the next year or two it is time to let the person go. This growth
could be in terms of job roles or compensation. If this is not done the
organization suffers. Equally important-the employee suffers and his/her
career graph slows down. As a manager if you cannot make someone grow you also
have no business slowing down the person.
The author is editor-in-chief of CyberMedia, the publisher of Dataquest. He
can be reached at shyamm@cybermedia.co.in